1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus having an improved mounting/demounting structure between a main body and removable units, thereby enhancing mounting performance.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus refers to an apparatus that prints an image on a printing medium according to an input image signal. An image forming apparatus is classified as a printer, a copying machine, a fax machine, a multi-function printer which has multiple functions of printing, scanning, copying and faxing, and the like.
As one type of the image forming apparatus, an electrophotographic type image forming apparatus is configured such that light is scanned to a photosensitive body charged to a predetermined electric potential to form an electrostatic latent image on a surface of the photosensitive body, and the electrostatic latent image is developed into a visible image by means of a developing unit supplying a developer to the electrostatic latent image. The visible image formed on the photosensitive body is directly transferred onto a printing medium, or is transferred onto a printing medium via an intermediate transfer unit. The image transferred onto the printing medium is then fused to the printing medium through a fusing process. Any residual developer on the photosensitive body without being transferred onto the printing medium or the intermediate transfer unit in the transfer process is collected by a cleaning unit, and is stored in a developer storage unit.
In such an image forming apparatus, a photosensitive body unit, a developing unit, a transfer unit and a developer storage unit are removably mounted in a main body which forms an exterior appearance of the image forming apparatus, so as to be replaced or repaired. In order to sense whether such removable units are in the main body or not and to control the removable units, the image forming apparatus includes contacts provided at the removable units, and terminals provided at the inner surface of the main body to be electrically connected to the contacts. The terminals protrude from the inner surface of the main body, and can move forward and backward within a predetermined range.
However, because lateral movement of the removable units is restrained and a user should push or pull the removable units into/out of the main body in a forward/backward direction, the above-constituted conventional image forming apparatus has problems of abrasion or damage of the terminals provided at the main body due to the removable units.
Also, because interference, such as friction or latching, between the main body and the removable units is severely generated, a user has a poor handling feeling when mounting or demounting the removable units.